[Chrysler300] 'brief' comment re aussie 57 300C versus new 300C feature article

["christopher beilby" <thelastbestgenius@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

As quite a few have responded to the feature of new 300C versus original 
300C, and one (NZ/kiwi) has thrown in some website comment re comparisions 
that those in the US/elsewhere may not understand, here is some brief 
additional.

The new 300C is priced in Australia at the upper end of locally built cars - 
this is basically Ford's Fairlane, and Holden Statesman (around $60k, wheras 
better big Benz etc are around $200,000 upwards, with Maybachs around 
$800,000).
Best explanation of what they are, is think of your latest GTO, which is 
based on a shorter wheelbase of the same basic floorplan - however the 
larger cars are only 4 doors. Holden in Australia use latest Buick V6 origin 
base motors, and now latest 6 litre Chev V8 motors, just as the new 300C 
offers 6 and 8s.
Ford's equivalent Fairlane uses a local double ohc cam 4 litre straight 6, 
and latest US V8s.  Holden's floorplan originated from German Opel, Ford is 
all aussie design.

In most every roadtest I have seen of new 300C in Australia, the thing that 
wins the day for the 300, is the level of standard equipment above the two 
local products - things like heated seats (oddly which here would only be 
useful very rarely?!)  Owen in NZ mentions his experiences with Holdens - 
and Ford earlier on had dramas with central locking locking peoople out, and 
cylinder head bolt breakage in odd cases of it's 6 cylinder motors.  No 
doubt like in the US, the good old jap cars were usually so reliable re no 
annoying small faults, that that is how they now have so large a share of 
the market?!

However Ford in Australia really woke up hard about 5 years ago - they 
already were ahead of rival Holden with cab owners who found the Ford 6 
could do near 400,000 miles in a cab, and take abuse the Holden ( Commodore) 
failed to.  And it is against the new Fords now released that the new 300 
will really have to compete with.
And as a further background to the article, and what may have pushed the 
writer to be 'hard' on the new 300, was he had just returned from about 10 
days driving thousands of miles in about 5  latest Lamborghini, Porsche, 
etc, around outback Australia, at often unrestricted speeds, on vast wide 
open flat out roads - plus also driving Ford's latest offerings of quad cam 
V8s, and turbo 4 litre straight sixes - sixes that see off GMs latest 6 
litre V8s as well as Fords quad cam near 6 litre V8.  And since then, Ford 
now offers 6 speed autos to go with the 'paddle shift sport operation' they 
already had/have.

And this guy who drove the new 300C and mine, was a 'good ole boy 
leadfoot/hoon' despite being only late 20s (he also apparently owns/runs one 
of nation's best computer chip performance enhancing business), and had only 
the day before stepped out of cars they had been driving at 120-150mph 
averages.  So any car was likely to be a let down - and trust me he smoked 
up the tyres of the new 300 many times in the 20 miles we travelled 
diverting floodwaters on back road zig zags as I followed him to the 
Raceway, never mind he smoked my tyres at about 30 mph when he kicked the 
trans down on starting a brief rolling start full throttle run on the drag 
strip.

Ford with their range of XR 6, XR 8, GT, and turbo Typhoon 6 (it runs 
0-60mph in the 5s), and their brilliant independent rear suspension are a 
world class car performance and handling wise, with better fit and finish 
than the new 300C we are getting here. Even GM/Holden lovers are defecting 
in droves to them over the last 12 months.  So it wil be interesting how the 
new 300 fares, even more so when the 6 litre 300 arrives - Ford's Fairlane 
has little of the smaller Falcon's clear brilliance, so the 300 will win 
here/there I predict.
Or it may just come down to the thing that personally annoys me most - that 
the current 300 looks so 'in your face, brick shaped', that people may buy 
it just because of that?!

And with your GM and Ford in US in real money dramas like Ford was here 5 
years ago,  here's hoping your GM and Ford get their act together in America 
- building low-mid priced family cars/sedans like our totally aussie Fords 
XR 6 etc we now have here, because they are cars that give real great 
pleasure every time you drive anywhere, and yet are a car that if you were 
in a Benz or BM costing three times the price you would be no 
happier/better. And quality is up there with Toyota.
Sadly if GM and Ford US have forgotten how to build such cars (other than 
F100 style pickups), then my fear is that America's great auto 
history/legacy may go the way of Oldsmobile who in the 60s with their 
Cutlass etc were huge sellers?!

Whatever happens, we still all have our 'real 300s', and who knows if MB 
give Chrysler a free go, maybe they still may build a 'real 300' that has 
the knockout looks that were the early 300s calling card to go with their 
50s hemi fun/60s ram tuned exhileration?!

Enough ramblings from the aussie who has maybe sniffed too much high octane 
over too many years - oh for the days when you could cruise for 100-1000 
miles at 100 - 115+ mph, in V8s of over a horsepower per cubic inch  running 
on 100 octane purchased for 23c a gallon - here now they will take your car 
off you, sell it, just for being clocked at 80mph on an open road of usual 
60 mph limit.

Christopher in Australia


>From: "Owen Grigg" <ram300@xxxxxxxxxx>
>To: "'christopher beilby'" 
><thelastbestgenius@xxxxxxxxxxx>,<Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: RE: [Chrysler300] aussie 57 300C versus new 300C feature article
>Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 10:56:10 +1200
>
>Hi Chis,
>Just read through the article, I liked and agreed with most if not all of
>your comments as well as the brief description of the '57 300C.
>
>BUT as for the bagging of the new one by the journo with comments such as
>"don't expect the new 300C to take the sword to any of the Ford or Holden
>eight bangers, as it simply won't happen" OR "in terms of fit ,finish , and
>ergonomic function, the 300 fails to outshine even the lowest level
>Australian family sedans".
>Holden Australia couldn't even get the windows to go up and down in my
>Holden Commodore, how's that for fit and finish! Then there's the lack of
>oil pressure on the V8 cars not so long back. These were not one off
>problems either. As for performance let's compare apples with apples and 
>put
>an SRT8 up against one of the so-called Aussie "muscle cars".
>I was reasonably happy with the new 300C on my test drive, fit and finish 
>on
>the one I drove was nice and a darn sight classier than what Holden/Ford
>have put together lately.
>It drove well too, without being mind blowing, but I'm looking forward to a
>drive in the SRT8 for that. I'm glad to see them down here.
>
>Owen
>"Down-under" too....and putting up with these idiot comments from local
>motoring magazines.
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
>Behalf Of christopher beilby
>Sent: Wednesday, 29 March 2006 10:12 p.m.
>To: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [Chrysler300] aussie 57 300C versus new 300C feature article
>
>If interested 'Read all about it', if what I suggest below works from the 
>US
>
>as simply as it does from here/Australia.
>
>Last November Australia's largest circulation Auto Magazine ran a color
>feature of my 57 daily driver 300C versus the current 300C. I was going to
>email a copy of the feature the magazine sent me on a CD, but file was way
>too large, and I apologise I have been too busy to try and work out a
>smaller format copy.   However,
>
>if you go to Google, and in search box you type in  "Chris Beilby", up as
>number One response comes my red 57 300C, and a shortened/edited format
>version of the feature "Unique Cars" ran - unfortunately they cut the 
>number
>
>of shots of the 57 300, but at least some of it is there.
>
>Try it and see how it goes your end - if it works the red 57 300C is there
>worldwide - even if they made my car's 120,000 miles into 200,000
>kilometres, and then when printing changed their 200,000 kilometres into
>200,000 miles - now if every 392 hemi in a 300C did 200,000 hard miles with
>only minor blowby as the only complaint at that mileage, we would all be
>rapt !?
>
>Get the spelling of my surname correct, the "e" is before the "i" in 
>Beilby,
>
>and I am none of the other Beilbys that come up after the first one.  If it
>does not work with "Chris Beilby", maybe try 'Chris Beilby 300C'.
>
>Someone let me know if it works from there or not,
>
>yours from Oz, Christopher
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
>
>




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